He arrived late into Gwrych Castle in Wales for the new series of I’m a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here! but Coronation Street star Simon Gregson was quicker to put a ring on wife Emma’s finger.
Simon married former actress Emma Gleave in 2010 and credits his family life with helping him beat the alcohol and depression battles he struggled with in his early years on the ITV soap.
He told The Mirror: “After being unhappy in my early days on Corrie, it is fantastic to feel so happy now.”
Simon met Emma at a Corrie Christmas party and was introduced by his former on-screen mum Bev Callard (Liz McDonald), at a time when he was ready to settle down. (Of course another connection
“I just wanted something normal,” he said. “But if I’d met Emma earlier I don’t think we would have got on. I was a different kind of person.”
He revealed the moment he decided to propose was just six weeks after they met: “I was sat in the bath and she was in the bedroom and I asked her, I just knew I wanted to be with her.
“She was so beautiful and we laughed all the time. She brought a lot more laughter into my life and proper friendship, someone you could rely on.
“We went and got a ring before we went to work.”
Emma marked their 10-year anniversary with a romantic post on Instagram last year: “So today Marks a decade!!! 10 years @fat_dracula how on earth has that happened … A journey filled with major ups, major downs and everything else in between! We always get back up though Si..... Happy Anniversary....... Here’s to the next chapter”
The couple have three children, Alfie, Harry and Henry, whose ages range from five to 14. Back in 2017, however, Emma had an ectopic pregnancy which almost killed her.
She posted at the time: “I usually wouldn’t do this but I was a couple of hours away from not being here to write this.
“Last night I was rushed into Wythenshawe Hospital. Long story short, I needed a scan desperately late last night and due to staff shortages no-one was on call. I owe my life to Dr Arora who travelled to scan me at midnight and performed life saving surgery on me through the night."
Simon is currently favourite with the bookies to win I’m a Celebrity 2021, but viewers will have to wait until Monday to watch the next instalment of the series because extreme weather conditions have led to the cancellation of tonight and tomorrow’s episodes.
